Late Thursday night, President Donald Trump reacted to the House impeachment vote with a meme on social media.
“In reality, they’re not after me, they’re after you,” the text of the meme, which features a photo of the president, declares. “I’m just in the way.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2019
Trump’s post hits at the heart of the partisan vote. Without even a clear crime convincingly laid out in the articles of impeachment, without a single Republican voting in favor of either article, and with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) potentiality withholding the articles from the U.S. Senate, the impeachment process appears to be a route to overturning the 2016 election, not upholding the Constitution.
Mere hours before Trump’s post, Democrats voted along party lines in support of two articles of impeachment: “abuse of power” and “obstruction of Congress.” While not a single Republican voted in support of either article, some Democrats defected from the party-line vote.
“On the first article of impeachment, ‘abuse of power,’ Democrats voted 228–2, Republicans voted 0–195, and the one independent member of Congress voted for impeachment,” The Daily Wire reported. On “obstruction of Congress,” “Democrats voted 228–3, Republicans voted 0–195, and the one independent member of Congress voted for impeachment.”
Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii voted “present” on both articles.
“I could not in good conscience vote for impeachment because removal of a sitting President must not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our country,” Gabbard explained, according to Fox News reporter Chad Pergram.
While the House debated and voted on the articles of impeachment, President Trump spent his time at a rally in Battle Creek, Michigan, delivering on the same message.
“With today’s illegal, unconstitutional and partisan impeachment, House Democrats are declaring their deep hatred and disdain for American Voters,” he said. “This lawless and partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democrat Party!”
🚨MOMENTS AGO🚨
“With today’s illegal, unconstitutional and partisan impeachment, House Democrats are declaring their deep hatred and disdain for American Voters. This lawless and partisan impeachment is a political suicide march for the Democrat Party!”
President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/Z78vcBEQ7n— Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) December 19, 2019
The president, in typical Trump fashion, also taunted Democrats while at the rally. “I don’t know about you, but I’m having a great time,” he said as the impeachment vote took place.
Trump says it doesn’t feel like he’s being impeached.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m having a great time”
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) December 19, 2019
As reported by The Daily Wire Thursday morning, Democrats were given instruction to avoid “cheering” following the impeachment vote and told to keep it “solemn.”
“House Democratic leaders told caucus members not to cheer or applaud when today’s impeachment vote totals are announced, and Democratic members described the day as sad and solemn,” an Axios report said.
“One Democratic member from a Trump-won district said the instruction is: ‘Don’t cheer, keep it solemn,’” the report added.
Keeping with the “solemn” theme, Pelosi and other Democratic women even wore black to signal just upsetting the occasion was.
To the displeasure of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), this did not happen, leading to another telling moment of the night. The Daily Wire reported:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced on Wednesday night to stop House Democrats from cheering their purely partisan impeachment of President Donald Trump following the vote as reports also surfaced that House members were taking selfies.
“Article one is adopted,” Pelosi said.
Immediately after she pounded her gavel, clapping broke out on the Democrats’ side, which prompted a death stare from Pelosi.
WATCH:
Nancy Pelosi forced to silence impeachment cheers from self-proclaimed “solemn” and “prayerful” Democrats pic.twitter.com/8khCTikx6C
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) December 19, 2019